Colorado University Athletics
SIX CU FOOTBALL ALUMNI IN SUPER BOWL TOPS ALL SCHOOLS
January 24, 2005 | Football
BOULDER - University of Colorado football fans might find it hard to root against either the New England Patriots or the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, set for February 6 in Jacksonville.
That's because both teams have multiple Buffalo alums on their rosters, as four are on the Patriots roster and two play for the Eagles; the combined count of six are the most representing any school on the active rosters of both teams in this year's game.
Offensive tackle Tom Ashworth (CU class of 2000) tight ends Christian Fauria ('94) and Daniel Graham ('01) and linebacker Ted Johnson ('94) all won Super Bowl rings with New England last year, when the Patriots defeated Carolina, 32-29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Ashworth and Johnson also earned rings three years ago when the Pats defeated the St. Louis Rams and are thus going for their third.
All-pro safety Michael Lewis ('01) and quarterback Koy Detmer ('96) are gunning for their first Super Bowl rings as members of the Eagles. Lewis has been a regular in the Philly secondary since his rookie season in 2002, and Detmer, the backup to Donovan McNabb, is the team's holder and one of its most popular players.
After Colorado's count of six alums in the game come Louisiana State and Purdue, both with five; LSU has the most players on a single team boasting five Patriots, while there are four Patriots and one Eagle who went to school at Purdue. An amazing thing is that over a fourth of New England's roster is represented by alums from CU, LSU and Purdue.
Miami, Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA all have three players on the active rosters, while 13 schools have two, including the lone other school, Texas A & M, besides CU from the Big 12 Conference.
The six Buffaloes in this year's game also represent the most Colorado alumni ever on the overall rosters (active, inactive or injured reserve) for a Super Bowl game, topping the five on two previous occasions. That happened in 1980, when four played for the champion Oakland Raiders (Cliff Branch, Mike L. Davis, Odis McKinney and Greg Westbrooks) and one for the Philadelphia Eagles (Charlie Johnson), and in 1998, when four were members of the champion Denver Broncos (Matt Lepsis, Viliami Maumau, Tom Rouen and Alfred Williams) with one on the Atlanta Falcons (Ronnie Bradford).
